The Maternal Excitation
by HaleyMichelle18
Summary: Was supposed to be a one-shot, now a multi-chapter story. Penny centric, with lots of Lenny fluff, and appearances from the rest of the gang. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, I started this a few days ago. It was an idea floating around in my head and I just had to put it down on paper. Some of you may not like it, some of you may, I hope the majority of you do. Either way, there was no way I could've let this slip by. **

**It was meant to be a one-shot and I just kept adding more and more to it, so I decided to make it a multi-chapter instead. Maybe three chapters. **

**I hope you enjoy! I'll start working on part two really soon!**

**The Maternal Excitation**

Setting the college Intro to Physics book back on her coffee table with a thud, Penny stretched her legs out across the couch. Closing her eyes, her head laid against the arm of the couch behind her and her own arms wrapped loosely around her waist. Her couch wasn't exactly the most comfortable place, but Penny couldn't be bothered to move at the moment. The entire morning she had been fighting the bouts of nausea that hit her, finding herself in the bathroom, bent over the toilet on more than one occasion. She had finally found a happy medium where the nausea hadn't quite disappeared, yet wasn't so overbearing.

Letting out a shaky breath, Penny opened her eyes slowly. She had already called off work for the afternoon and contemplated skipping her class that night. Her eyes glanced over and stared at the thick book sitting on the table in front of her, feeling guilty. She really didn't want to miss class again. She was actually enjoying school. It was the one thing in her life she quite proud of. This was the fourth class she had taken so far, along with her two History classes and a Psychology class. She had continued her studies the summer Leonard had been gone, knowing it would be a little bit of a distraction. She would have taken even more to keep her busy had her financial situation been slightly better.

Upon his return, Leonard had been ecstatic to see the B+ Penny had finished her class with, so, the following fall semester, she had signed up for another. Venturing further and further into school, Penny had finally knocked a few of her walls down and allowed Leonard to help her, asking him to explain things she didn't fully understand or to help quiz her for a test scheduled the next night. She had surprised him this spring semester by announcing she was ready to try a science class. Physics had just seemed like the right way to go.

Balancing work with her night classes twice a week and rehearsing for the small plays she had continued to stay a part of, along with spending what free time she had with her friends, Penny realized she had been going to less and less auditions over the last year. Leonard continued to encourage her and support her failed acting career, but she just didn't feel the passion there. Each time an opportunity presented itself, Penny would find some excuse to not go. She had yet to figure out if that was because of her fear of rejection or if she was finally deciding to let go of her dream from long ago and move on with life.

Shutting her eyes once again as another wave of nausea hit, Penny snuggled deeper into the cushions, begging her body to just stop. Her pleas went unheard and she felt her mouth begin to water again, felt the burning sensation travel up her throat. Reaching over and grabbing the trash can she had thankfully placed close by earlier, Penny heaved, wondering if there was even anything left to throw up. She hadn't been able to keep anything down all day.

Finished, Penny sat back, grasping her stomach again as the tears rolled down her cheeks. Her eyes found the red article of clothing hanging from the back of the couch. _Leonard's hoodie. _Lifting her arm felt like lifting a 50lb weight as she gently pulled the material down on top of her body and slid her arms through the sleeves. She buried her nose into the hood, the smell of his cologne being the first thing to not make her nauseated all day.

She hoped he'd be home soon. All of this had started earlier in the week. Penny had claimed she had probably just caught some sort of 24 hour virus and it would pass soon. Days went by, the sick feeling to her stomach continued. Leonard seemed doubtful, considering she wasn't running a fever, but he made her soup each night, offering her saltine crackers as some substance when she couldn't keep the soup down at times. He snuggled with her, held her hair back when she got sick, rubbed her back, even let her pick out the movie to watch every night, and when she fell asleep halfway through, he carried her to bed, crawling in behind her. Thinking back over all the amazing things Leonard had done for her that week, Penny mentally high-fived herself for asking him to move in with her several months back.

She hadn't felt too good when he had reluctantly left for work earlier that morning, falling back asleep as soon as the door had closed behind him. The nausea and vomiting hadn't started until a few hours later and now, closing in on five in the evening, Penny was still no better. She had thought about calling, begging him to leave work early and come take care of her. She knew he'd do it, no hesitation at all, and the thought made her feel loved and selfish at the same time. He had already missed so much work for her this week. So she decided to suffer through the pain alone. The only person she had talked to all day being Bernadette asking her out for lunch. She had politely declined, explaining to her friend what was happening.

A groan pushed past her lips as she heard a knock at the door, knowing it wasn't Leonard. She had absolutely no strength left to stand and answer the door. She wondered if she kept quiet if they would just go away. Her eyes opened when she heard another knock and a soft voice on the other side. "It's unlocked," Penny called out in a voice that she hardly even recognized from being so tired.

The door swung open and Bernadette strolled in, a plastic bag hanging from her arm. "Hey, you look awful!"

Penny forced a smile, "Gee, thanks, Bernie."

Bernadette shook her head, sitting on the edge of the couch next to Penny's legs. "You know what I mean." She reached a hand out and felt of Penny's forehead. "You don't feel like you have a fever."

"No, I haven't had one all week. Just can't stop getting sick to my stomach. Probably just ate something bad."

"All week?" Bernadette's face took on the same expression Leonard's had when she had said it was most likely a 24 hour virus.

Penny shrugged lazily, "I don't know what else it could be."

She caught a glimpse of something she couldn't quite figure out in her tiny friend's eyes, but it disappeared quickly and Bernadette spoke up again, holding up the plastic bag, "Anyway, Leonard got a little caught up at work so he asked me to stop by and drop off some medicine and other things for you, mostly to check up on you."

Penny's face lit up with a smile. "He's the best," she whispered.

Bernadette flashed a smile, pulling out several different medications to try, some in pill form, some liquid. Penny saw her hand hover over the bag, her eyes cast downward and her bottom lip between her teeth.

"What is it?" Penny inquired, curious.

Bernadette whipped around to look Penny in the eye again, "Listen.." she started, her hands dropping the bag and coming up to grasp one of Penny's. She gave her a wavering smile and squeezed her hand gently. "I got something else for you. Leonard doesn't know I bought this next item, but, based on the symptoms you described to me on the phone and how long you've been sick now, I just figured it wouldn't hurt to try it."

Penny's eyes narrowed, staring at her friend, unsure, "What are you talking about?"

Sighing, Bernadette reached one hand into the bag and pulled out a box, handing it over to her.

Penny's eyes scanned the box, before sitting up quickly and turning on the woman next to her, "A pregnancy test? What the hell, Bernie!"

Bernadette held her hands up in front of her, defensively, "Just hear me out-"

"I'm not pregnant!" Penny exclaimed, throwing the box on the table in front of her.

"You don't have a fever, you've been nauseous for at least a week now, barely keeping anything down-"

"I'm not pregnant!" Penny interrupted again.

"You may not be, but what would it hurt to try? To rule it out and if you're not, we can focus on what is really making you sick and get you better!" Bernadette was quiet for a few minutes, watching her friend stare intently at the box, "Penny? When's the last time you had your period?"

She bit the inside of her cheek, thinking back over the past few weeks. Her brow furrowed as she concentrated. Sighing, Penny finally gave up, closing her eyes and falling back against the couch, "I-I can't remember." She reached both hands up to massage her temples. All this thinking was beginning to give her a headache. "I just have been so busy with work and school and the play I just finished that I haven't even realized-" she trailed off, opening her eyes and glancing over at the shorter blonde. "I can't be pregnant, Bernie."

"Hey," Bernadette grasped Penny's hand tighter, "We won't know unless we try. I'll stay with you. You won't be alone, Penny."

Penny nodded slowly and her eyes found the box sitting in front of her again. _Here we go._

* * *

Penny stared at the message on her phone, letting out a sigh of relief for the first time that day. One of her classmates had agreed to let her copy her notes for the night after Penny had explained how sick she still was feeling. Honestly, the nausea had passed already, but she had no strength left from the day and knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything the professor said. _Not after the past hour._

Setting her phone back on the coffee table, she avoided looking at the stick that sat there as well. She had stared at it enough already. Staring wasn't going to change the answer.

Penny's head rested against the back of the couch, just as she heard those three familiar knocks at her door.

_Knock knock. "_Leonard and Penny." _Knock knock. _"Leonard and Penny." _Knock knock. "_Leonard and Penny."

Groaning, Penny yelled out for him to come in. Sheldon was the last person she wanted to see at the moment, but she knew he'd never go away.

She opened her eyes as the door opened slowly and Sheldon stood in the doorway. "Hello, Penny. I was wondering if Leonard had made it home yet. I'm aware he was having to stay a little later than usual at the university. As you know tonight is our weekly night to hang out, since you took my good buddy away from me."

Penny sighed, remembering the day Leonard had moved out of 4A and into 4B. Sheldon had refused to talk to either for several days, before the guys had finally came to an agreement and decided to replace 'Anything Can Happen Thursday' with a night specifically for the two of them to hang out. On those nights no one else was allowed to join in, especially Penny, Sheldon had pointed out. Even Amy, who was currently residing in Leonard's old room (after a lot of coaxing of Sheldon), was booted from 4A for several hours each Thursday night, usually hanging out with either her or Bernadette. "I did not take your friend away from you and no he isn't home yet."

Before Sheldon could speak again, Amy appeared in the doorway beside him. "Hi, Bestie!" she greeted, enthusiastically.

Penny gave a short wave and forced a smile. She really didn't want company. She felt like crap, she knew she looked gross, and, right now, she had way too much on her mind. She really just needed Leonard.

Amy walked further into the room, "Bernadette called and told me she had an early morning tomorrow, so it's just you and me tonight. I assume you're not going to your class tonight, since you still look under the weather." Amy sat next to her on the couch, lifting a hand to place against Penny's forehead, frowning. "Hmm, still no fever. I can whip you up some food if you'd like and we can watch some chick flicks in our pajamas while our guys get their geek on." Amy's smile stretched across her face, an eyebrow raised, waiting on a confirmation from her best friend.

Penny felt horrible having to crush Amy's hopes, but she really needed alone time with Leonard tonight, without an audience. "Listen, Ames-"

"What is that?" Sheldon interrupted, pointing to the table, striding over to stand before it, "Is that a pregnancy test?"

_Balls._

Penny cringed, forgetting to hide the stick when her friends came over. She opened her mouth to try to find any excuse, but words failed her.

Amy leaned forward and gasped, "It's positive." She turned to face Penny again, "Bestie, you're pregnant?"

"Well-I-"Penny fumbled over her words. Her palms began to sweat and her heart raced. This wasn't how anyone was supposed to find out.

"No!" Sheldon shouted, a frown covering his face, "You can't be pregnant! I forbid it!"

Both Amy's and Penny's jaw dropped at his outburst. Amy spoke first, "Sheldon, you can't 'forbid' this. You have no control over any of this."

Sheldon shook his head, stubbornly, and crossed his arms in front of his chest, "No. You can't be pregnant," his voice dropped to just above a whisper, "Too much has changed already."

Penny's sympathy for Sheldon pushed her fears to the back of her mind for the moment. "Sheldon, sweetie, I am," she tried to swallow down the lump forming in her throat as she finally said the words aloud, "I am pregnant, but this doesn't mean we're going to forget about you. It's not going to change much-"

"Oh, please!" Sheldon shouted again, a hand waving through the air. "It's going to change so much. I'll never get to see Leonard or you anymore. Now our 'Sheldon and Leonard: Best Buddy Extravaganza' night will become 'Sheldon No Longer Has A Best Friend Because Penny Stole Him Away Completely' night. Our grocery store trips together will either cease to exist or will include you having to juggle a cranky infant in your arms. My spot in the two of your lives will be replaced with a screaming baby now."

"A baby?"

Three heads whipped around to see Leonard now standing in the doorway, his book bag hanging from his shoulder and a frown across his handsome face. He spoke up again, stepping into the apartment, "Who's having a baby?"

Sheldon's mouth opened before anyone else's, "Penny is! And now our friendship will be meeting it's end soon-"

"Sheldon!" Amy yelled, scolding him.

"Sheldon, what the hell! Did you ever think that maybe _I_ wanted to be the one to tell him?" Penny screamed, rising from the couch. All sympathy she had felt for Sheldon earlier had now been wiped away. She pointed in the direction of the hallway, "Out!"

Amy stood as well, grabbing Sheldon by the shoulders and guiding him out of the room, "Let's go Sheldon."

Sheldon reluctantly started to move with her, "But what about tonight? I'm supposed to hang out with-"

Amy pushed him out the door a bit quicker now, before Penny could explode on him again. The door slammed behind them and the apartment filled with silence.

Penny collapsed backwards on to the couch again. Eyes shut, she raised a shaky hand to push the hair out of her face and held her head in her hands.

Soon, she felt the cushion beside her sink a little lower, followed by a hand rubbing her lower back slowly. Opening her eyes and lifting her head, she turned to see Leonard. Instead of staring at her, his eyes were focused on the pregnancy test, an unreadable expression on his face.

Her left hand slid over to rest on his thigh. "Leonard?" She spoke softly.

His eyes finally connected with hers. "Are you really?" he questioned. At her slow nod, he continued, "Well, how do you feel about this?"

She avoided his gaze as the question fell from his lips. _How did she feel?_ Should she just smile and act happy that her life was about to be completely turned upside down even more than it already was. "I- I-"she took a deep breath before trying to speak again, "I don't really know how I feel right now. I'm still kind of processing everything." She glanced up at him again. The frown on his face had grown. "Well, how do you feel?" She asked, turning the tables.

His brow furrowed slightly, "Honestly, it's not the way I pictured it, I mean-it's not ideal timing but-" his hand grasped hers and a smile began to appear on his face for the first time since he had arrived home, "of course I'm happy, I mean..it's with you."

* * *

"Tell me why we're here again."

Penny helped Bernadette unfold the blanket onto the green grass below her feet, before resting on top of it, legs crossed. Her eyes scanned the field in front of her.

"Well," Bernadette started, sitting down beside her, "word of your pregnancy got around pretty quickly and when Howard found out, he became really excited." She turned to look at Penny, a frown on her lips, "He kind of has 'baby fever' now and has it in his mind that we're next."

"Oh man," Penny mumbled.

"Yeah," Bernadette nodded, "It didn't make things better when he found out my little niece, Jessica, had a soccer game today. He wanted me to come watch her and be around all the kids. He wouldn't quit bringing it up until I finally agreed," she finished with a long sigh.

Penny's brow furrowed, confused, "Well if he wanted you to go so bad, why isn't he here with you?"

"He promised his mother he'd take her to the new buffet they opened up down the street from our apartment. He couldn't find a way out of it. So, I figured, if I can't bring the man who is trying to make me procreate, why not bring the next best thing: someone who already has one growing in her tummy." Bernadette flashed her a smile that some people may have described as 'a tad bit evil'. "If I have to suffer through this, so do you."

"Gee, thanks," Penny moaned, turning her attention back to the field as the poor referee tried his hardest to get the attention of several small children. She watched as the kids, in a mixed array of purple and green jerseys, fumbled around, stumbling over one another. She even spotted one little girl off to herself, picking from a small bundle of flowers she had discovered. She couldn't have been older than four, which Penny thought was way too young to be playing sports, but what did she know about children?

_Nothing._

Her heart dropped at the thought. Her hand slowly raised intended to place against her stomach where she knew her own child was growing, but instead hovered just above it, afraid to touch it. Her eyes stared down at her hand for a few seconds, before dropping it to her lap again. Her eyes glanced over to Bernadette beside her, afraid she had been caught, but her friend's line of vision remained focused on the game in front of her. Penny sighed, inwardly.

Life had changed a great deal since she had taken that damn pregnancy test weeks ago. Leonard had become the attentive father-to-be she always knew he would be. He made sure she was comfortable at every moment he was around her. He called her from work, had dinner and a warm bath waiting for her the nights she would be in late, and he attended her first doctor appointment with her just the day before. Her eyes briefly flicked over to her purse on the ground beside her, afraid to look for too long, as if she could see through the material and see the sonogram picture resting at the bottom of her bag. Her mind flashed back to sitting in the treatment room, the first picture of their child resembling a peanut on the screen in front of them. She remembered Leonard's face filled with excitement, much like when he would read through a new comic book or rewatch one of his Star Wars movies for the millionth time. He had turned to face her, a smile covering his face, and Penny had forced a smile back. She wished she could feel the same as he did; she was fully aware he had already told all his colleagues from the university and knew he carried the sonogram in his wallet, prepared to be shown at any moment. The truth was Penny didn't feel the same. She tried, she really did, but she couldn't push away the fear building up. How was she supposed to raise a baby when she could barely take care of herself at times?

She was shaken from her thoughts as she heard a whistle blow from close by. Her eyes refocused on the reason she was there and she saw a small boy standing before her. He wore a bright green jersey that was a size too big for him and blonde curls hanging around his eyes. He raised a tiny hand to push his black framed glasses back up the bridge of his nose and then waved at her, smiling. Penny slowly lifted a hand to offer a hesitant wave back, a slight smile on her face as well. At the sound of a second whistle, the boy ran off towards his team and Penny's eyes followed him, a small part of her hoping his team would win.

She didn't even pay attention to the woman sitting beside her, glancing over and smirking.

* * *

By the time Penny had reached the fourth floor landing, her cell phone had nearly burned a whole through her ear. She rolled her eyes as she listened to her mother ramble on and on about the responsibilities that came with taking care of a baby. She instantly regretted telling her parents the news the moment the words had left her mouth. Her father had congratulated her, seeming to be nearly as excited by the news as Leonard was, while her mother had continued to remind her of the just how much her life was about to change. _As if I needed reminded, _she had thought, bitterly, stomping up the last flight of stairs.

She knew deep down though that she couldn't have kept it a secret for long. If she hadn't told them now, Leonard probably would have pushed her to. Her boyfriend had called her just an hour earlier to let her know that he was on hold at his mother's office. "Maybe she'll take my call this time!" he had exclaimed, his voice filled with delight.

She replied to her mother's statements with a monotone answer each time, trying to keep her anger at bay. She was aware that her mother was just trying to be the responsible parent she hardly was for her growing up, but, right now, Penny just didn't want to hear her voice telling her about how easy it was to screw up another life. She was, after all, the expert on that subject.

Finally succeeding in getting her mom to hang up, Penny slid the phone back into her pocket, ignoring the message from Amy tossing out ideas for a baby shower. Closing her eyes, she rested her body against the broken elevator doors behind her. She should probably go into her apartment. Leonard was most likely home. As soon as she walked through the door, he'd practically jump her, asking her how her day was with such enthusiasm that would do nothing but grate on her last nerve of the day. Penny really just needed to talk to someone who wasn't overjoyed with or wanting to talk about the fact that, in seven more months, she'd be pushing another human out of her body.

Her eyes popped open suddenly and she spun on her heels. She knew exactly where she could go to get that. She didn't even bother knocking. Slamming the door of apartment 4A behind her, Penny stomped over to the couch and sank backwards. Turning her head slightly, her eyes met the ones of the man sitting next to her in his usual spot and wearing his red Flash shirt and blue long-sleeved undershirt.

"Sure, Penny," Sheldon started, "Come on in. I don't mind." He shook his head disapprovingly, as he turned his attention back to the television. "That was sarcasm, by the way."

Penny was sure if she rolled her eyes any more they'd get stuck. "Yeah, I caught that," She replied, focusing on the TV as well. A frown appeared on her face as she realized what was playing, "Star Trek? Really, Sheldon? Don't you ever get tired of this?"

She felt his eyes on her again, "Okay, missy, you can leave the same way you came in." His finger pointed towards the door, before speaking again, "Just don't slam it so hard this time with your big Nebraskan man hands."

Her frown deepened and she held out her hands in front of her, examining them. They really weren't that big, were they? _They'll look even bigger holding a baby in them. _Penny huffed and shoved her hands under her legs, refusing to look at them now.

Sheldon glanced over, confused by her awkward movement. "What are you even doing here?" he asked.

A sigh flowed past her lips and Penny sunk deeper into the couch. "I just wanted a moment away from everyone congratulating me or wanting to discuss baby names or even just bringing up just how horrible of a mother I'm going to be." She felt her eyes begin to sting with tears as her last words spoken aloud hit her, "Oh God, I'm going to be a terrible mother!" The words rushed out, slightly muffled as her hands covered her face.

"Oh boy," she heard Sheldon mumble, before feeling the cushions around her shift with his movement. "Penny-"

Her wails of despair interrupted him. "I'm going to screw up this child's life so much! They're going to resent me forever!" Her body shook with sobs and she tried hard to catch her breath, as she completely fell apart before his eyes.

Sheldon's eyes widened and his face paled. He had never done well around crying girls. He was truly at a loss for words. Rising, he decided to do the only thing that came natural to him in this type of situation. "I'll make you a hot beverage."

"I don't need a stupid hot beverage!" Penny screamed at him through her sobs.

Sheldon quickly sat back down beside her, nervous and frightened. He reached out a hand to place on her shoulder, in an attempt to be consoling, but yanked it back as she screamed into her hands followed by a repeat of her words about being a terrible mother to her child. "Penny, you're not-" he tried, only to be interrupted again.

"Yes! I am! I'm going to be a completely horrible mom!"

"Fine!" Sheldon threw his hands in the air, exasperated, his voice raising, "You're going to be a terrible mother! If you truly think that, then there's no way I can convince you otherwise!"

Penny sat, shocked at his outburst. A few tears still slid down her cheeks, but her sobs had died down. Wiping at her eyes, she shook her head slowly, "C'mon Sheldon. You can't tell me that _you_ of all people think I'm going to be a good mother."

Sighing, Sheldon spoke with a calmer tone this time, "Penny, I've known you for nearly eight years now. When I first met you, I would've agreed with that statement without any hesitation. Frankly, up until this past year, I still would have. The past year though, I've seen quite a bit of growth from you and, while I still feel you will no doubt make mistakes from time to time, I believe you are capable of being a better mother to your offspring than you would have eight years ago, or even two years ago."

Penny felt a smile begin to form as Sheldon's words sunk in. She knew that admitting something nice about her was hard for him to do and it warmed her heart immensely. "Thank you, Sheldon," She whispered.

"You're welcome, "he nodded, satisfied with his answer and turning back to the TV, "now, go talk to Leonard about all this nonsense."

Penny's eyes began to water again and her heart rate picked back up. "I can't talk to Leonard! He is so excited and I'm so damn confused about everything-" her words trailed off as another sob resurfaced.

"Not this again," Sheldon groaned, standing abruptly and shuffling towards the door, slinging it open, and shutting it behind him.

Penny stared after him, her brow arched and her heart breaking. Did he really just storm out and leave her, alone and crying on his couch? She reached to the table beside her, grabbing a handful of tissues. She dabbed at her eyes, knowing it was useless as more new tears appeared.

Just as she was about to stand to walk to the bathroom and attempt at redoing her makeup, the door opened again and Sheldon strolled back in, Leonard following close behind, hair wet and nothing but a towel wrapped around his lower half.

"What-What are you doing, Sheldon?" Penny exclaimed.

Sheldon grabbed Leonard's arm and pulled him to stand beside Penny. "She interrupted my Star Trek marathon, she slammed the door, she dumped all of her problems on me, and she _cried_!" Sheldon practically spit the last word out, "You know the kind of position that puts me in! She wouldn't even accept a hot beverage!"

"Sheldon, calm down-"Leonard attempted, holding his hand up.

"No. Here's what's going to happen. You two," he paused, pointing between the couple, "are going to sit and talk about all this. It's starting to interfere with my life. I don't need any crying in my life right now. There will be enough of that soon enough." His eyes flicked towards her stomach briefly, before meeting Leonard's again. "Now, talk! I am going to my room to read. Please try to keep your voices down." He started around the couch and down the hall, before stopping and adding, "Please refrain from having coitus in my spot."

At the sound of his bedroom door shutting, Leonard tightened the towel around his waist and took a seat next to her. "Penny?"

Her eyes lifted to connect with his. "I'm sorry, Leonard."

Creases appeared across his forehead. "For what, love bug?" he asked, placing a hand on her arm.

Penny was certain she had cried every tear she had left as she sniffled and dabbed at her eyes with the tissue again. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. How could she begin to explain? Instead, she shook her head and leaned against him. She could feel the small water droplets on his damp skin soak through her blouse. Her face buried into his chest and, within a second, his arms were around her, pulling her even closer. "Sweetie, you're starting to really worry me," he said, a hand rubbing up and down her back, slowly.

Having him hold her gave her the courage she was searching for. She slid her arms around him as well, the words finally escaping, "I'm sorry that I don't feel as excited as you do about this baby. I'm trying, I really am, but.." she tailed off and felt a tear make it's way down her left cheek. Maybe she'd been wrong earlier.

"Keep talking, honey," Leonard encouraged, "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

Lifting her head off his chest, she met his gaze. His beautiful eyes urged her on. "I'm so scared. I just keep thinking about how I don't even have my life figured out yet and now I'm expected to help raise another one? I mean, I have no career ahead of me; I'm stuck at an awful job that I am equally awful at. How am I going to do this?"

Leonard sat, befuddled, for a couple of seconds, gathering his thoughts. He hadn't expected this from her when Sheldon had drug him out of the bathroom and across the hall. When he spoke again, he turned to face her better, keeping one arm around her. "Penny, you're going to be a great mother-," at Penny's scoff, he continued, "You will be. Yes, you're still confused about your path in life, but, in my eyes, you're doing an excellent job. Yeah, you've hit a lot of bumps along the way, but isn't that what life is about? It makes the journey much more memorable and makes it easier for you to truly appreciate what you have accomplished. You've gone back to school, for crying out loud! That takes a lot of guts." He flashed her a bright, loving smile. "You have come a long way and I am extremely proud of you. You may not have the dream job you've always wanted right now, but that doesn't matter to a child. You really think I would've chosen the way my mom is over someone as loving as you?" His bright smile transformed to a sad one, "No way. I would've loved to have had a mother like the one you will be. Sweet, funny, loving, protective. I have no doubt in my mind that you will make an amazing mother, Penny."

Her lips stretched into a brief smile before returning to a frown, "But, I'm so scared, Leonard, and then I look at you and you're not scared at all and-"

This time it was Leonard's turn to scoff. "You think I'm not scared?" At her nod and halfhearted shrug, Leonard laughed, "Penny, I'm absolutely terrified. I know next to nothing about kids, especially infants." He reached a hand up to tuck a stray blonde lock behind her ear. "But, as scared as I am, I know we can do this. I am willing to read any baby book, go to any birthing class with you, and look like a complete idiot at times, as long as I'm doing it with you by my side. I want you to know that I am in this for the long run and I'm sorry if that may scare you, but it's the truth."

"I want you to be," Penny admitted, her hand grasping his and squeezing gently. "I won't be able to do this without you, Leonard."

"And you won't," he replied, matter-of-factly. "I won't ever let that happen."

"It's going to be hard," Penny reminded him.

"Oh, it's going to be exhausting, but we will cross every bridge when we get to it, together. It'll be worth every tiring moment, because, in the end, we'll have a little bundle of joy to call ours."

Penny's smile now mirrored his. "Thank you, Leonard. For everything." Leaning closer, she pressed her lips firmly against his. After a few seconds, she pulled back and rested her forehead against his bare shoulder. "I love you."

"I love you, too." His hands rested on the small of her back, "And don't worry, the excitement will come eventually. You'll find that moment. Just give it time."

She desperately wanted to believe him.

* * *

Penny grimaced as she lay back on the uncomfortable padded table she was reclined on in her doctor's office. Glancing over, she watched as Leonard surveyed the various pictures of newborns pinned on a bulletin board hanging from the wall. She saw the twinkle in her eye and the slight upturn of his lips. He said she would eventually get there too, but a month had passed since their talk, and she still felt her worries override any glimpse of happiness she would feel. She had refused to let herself breakdown again ever since, but she still never brought up the subject of their baby. She chose to ignore the fact that her pants were beginning to fit a bit tighter. She was starting to become extremely frustrated with herself. She really did not want to suffer through the entire pregnancy with her current feelings of doubt and distance.

The door opened and her doctor stepped in, smiling, as she greeted the two of them.

"Good afternoon, Dr. Young," Leonard held out his hand and offered a handshake, which the redheaded doctor accepted.

"Good to see you again, Leonard," She responded, "And Penny, welcome back. Twelve weeks! Let's take another look at your baby, shall we?"

Dr. Young rolled her chair closer to the table and Penny lifted her shirt, revealing her abdomen. She winced as the gel was rubbed across her stomach. "I know it's cold. I'm sorry," Dr. Young apologized as the transducer was placed against her skin. "Now, at twelve weeks, we should be able to-" she paused as a muffled sound erupted from the machines speakers and filled the room, "Yep. There is your baby's heartbeat."

With a small movement of the transducer, the sound grew louder and rung in Penny's ears. Her eyes widened in surprise as she took in the noise.

_My baby's heartbeat._

The sound continued and she sensed Leonard step closer, his hand falling to her shoulder. She didn't have to look at him to see his expression. She could just imagine the smile exploding across his face, his eyes full of admiration.

Penny's eyes closed and she allowed everything in the room to fade away, except for the sound, the proof that the thing growing inside her wasn't just the small peanut she had seen on the screen before. It was living. It had a heartbeat. One of the most beautiful sounds she had ever heard in her life.

When she opened her eyes again, she was looking into Leonard's tear filled ones. She stared for a few seconds longer, before mouthing, "I love you."

She vaguely recalled the doctor wiping the gel away from her stomach, barely heard her telling Leonard the details of her follow-up appointment. Sitting up, she fought back any tears trying to slip by. She closed her eyes once again, the sound from before still echoing in her ears, a tender smile present. Her heart swelled with joy and she let her mind wonder about what her baby would look like, images flowing through her brain. She wondered what his or her laugh would sound like and if it would sound just as amazing as the sound of their heartbeat. After she opened her eyes, she brought her hands together, allowing them to rest on her stomach for the first time since she had laid eyes on the positive pregnancy test. Staring down at the placement of her hands, her face lit up, and she whispered, ever so softly, "I love you, Baby Hofstader."


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, took a while, but here's the next chapter! I enjoyed writing it, but I'm looking forward to the final chapter even more. Quite a bit a dialog in this one, but it had to be addressed. This is a Lenny story, a story about their baby, but it's also being written to give a little insight into Penny's development. I'm not saying this is how it has to go on the show (by the way, I don't own anything), but it's how it played out in my head. It skips around from each month of Penny's pregnancy. Oh, I didn't know Penny's middle name or her mother's name, so I just came up with my own. Now my little ramble is over.**

**Enjoy!**

**P.S. Free hugs to the person who catches the 'Friends' quote hidden in here!**

**The Maternal Excitation: Part Two**

"There we go!"

Penny stood back to admire the newest addition to the door of their refrigerator. She tried her hardest to prevent the smile from forming, but failed miserably. Leonard added the last magnet to hold the sheet of paper up and turned to look her way. His face, unlike the shy, nervous smile on her own face, wore a bright, warm smile. Her eyes scanned the most recent test from school now there for all to see. It was still shocking to her, that after struggling and barely pulling a passing grade in her Intro to Physics class, she had somehow managed a B on this last test. Her eyes met his knowing she couldn't have done it without his help.

She still attempted to hide the smile, "Do we really have to put this on the fridge?" She asked, feigning annoyance. She actually was quite proud of her grade. At Leonard's enthusiastic nod, she sighed dramatically, "Gah, I feel like such a nerd."

Leonard smirked, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. "Yeah, but you're my nerd." Hearing Penny giggle, his smile grew. "And when our little guy comes home with his first good grade, we'll do the same. " Penny raised an eyebrow. "Or _her's. _Whichever. Either will be the smartest kid ever."

"Just another month and we should be able to find out," Penny replied, secretly counting down the days until the moment she'd hear the words 'boy' or 'girl'. She couldn't quite figure out if she wanted the miniature version of her boyfriend or the beautiful little girl that she knew he'd never be able to say no to.

Fighting back a yawn, Penny was just about to reach for his hand, prepared to drag him to bed, when a sudden sensation caused her to pause. A feeling similar to butterflies fluttering or popcorn slowly popping bubbled up in her stomach. "Le-Leonard," she fumbled over her words, her hands instantly shooting to rest on the small protruding bump her abdomen had become at four months. "Leonard something's going on."

"What is it?" Leonard asked, frantically, hands landing beside hers.

"I'm not really sure. It's a weird feeling. Like butterflies flying around in my belly."

"Oh," Leonard's sigh of relief caused her to stare at him, confused. "It's the baby kicking. I read a little on the internet at work. This early on that's what it feels like. Unfortunately, it's too early for me to feel as well." Leonard explained, but still keeping his hands in their place, right beside hers.

"It's kicking?" Penny's eyes widened and once Leonard nodded again in confirmation, her heart melted. Her baby was kicking, moving around, letting itself be known, perhaps saying hi to it's mommy. "Oh my gosh, Leonard, our baby is kicking!" She cried, the smile taking over her entire face.

They shared a loving smile for a few seconds longer, before Leonard grabbed her hand leading her across the room to the bedroom. Penny, still in slight awe, had completely forgotten about sleep. She really didn't know if she could sleep at the moment! Still, she changed into pajamas and made her way into the bathroom to wash her face. As she dabbed at her face, drying with a hand towel, she stared at her reflection staring back at her, focusing mainly on the smile that refused to diminish.

Reentering the bedroom, Penny climbed into bed next to her boyfriend. Snuggling up to his side, she rested her head on his chest, "I may be too happy to sleep right now!"

Leonard's arm wrapped around her back and he spoke, "Well maybe this is a good time to talk then." She could hear the hesitation in his voice.

Lifting her head up just enough to be able to see his face, Penny gave him a suspicious look, "Talk about what?"

"Well," he started, clearing his throat nervously, "about moving."

Sitting up quickly, Penny turned to face him properly, "Moving?" she questioned, her voice reaching a higher pitch than she expected.

Leonard sat up as well, becoming eye level with her. His hand reached out to grab ahold of hers, "Don't freak out, okay? I just started thinking the other day that this place isn't really big enough for three of us, is it? I mean, one bedroom?"

Penny bit her lip and glanced around the room. There was barely enough room for the two of them. He did have a point, a scary one though. She had lived here for going on eight years and now she was expected to up and move?

Leonard must have seen the panic rising in her eyes. He gently squeezed her hand to gain her attention again. "Hey. I know a lot is changing right now."

Penny nodded, feeling a little like Sheldon at the moment. What happened to the girl from Nebraska who had packed up all her things and moved out to California on a whim? _She grew up and realized how hard life can be._

"It's not something we have to do tomorrow. I just wanted to bring this up to you," Leonard continued, his thumb beginning to rub tiny circles on top of her right hand. "We don't even have to move out of the building. I heard that 2A's residents are moving out this summer. It's still in the building, so we're still close to the gang."

"Sheldon will be happy," Penny commented.

"Yeah, he will," he agreed," I know he's having a hard time dealing with all of this. It's a two bedroom, lots of room. Plus, with it being a few floors down, that's less flights of stairs you have to walk up," Leonard pointed out, smiling.

"That's definitely a plus. When I'm as big as an elephant, I'm not going to want to climb four flights of stairs." Penny laughed.

"It's actually a lot like 4A, except for one thing."

She narrowed her eyes, spotting the twinkle in his eyes. "What?"

"Walk. In. Closet." Leonard spoke with emphasis on each individual word, his smile growing.

"Damn. You got me," Penny smirked, her gaze catching sight of her now overflowing tiny closet.

"So you'll think about it?" At Penny's nod, Leonard sighed relief, "Good. Thank you." He leaned forward and kissed her quickly.

"Um," Penny began, nervously, "now that we're talking, I kind of wanted to talk to you about school."

"What about school? Is everything okay? You did so well on your last test." Leonard asked, alarmed.

"Yeah, everything's great!" Penny reassured him, "I've just been thinking about my future classes and my-my plan."

"Your plan?" Leonard smiled gently at her.

Penny nodded slowly, "Yeah. Well, I-uh-I still want to continue school, even with the baby-"

"You might want to take it easy in your third trimester," Leonard interrupted, slightly worried.

She sighed, "I just don't want to take a break and lose my motivation I have right now-"

"You won't, Penny-"

"How do you know that?" She was beginning to become frustrated, "I've done it before! I've dropped out of college before, who's to say I wouldn't do it again?"

Reaching a hand up to brush her hair out of her face, Leonard wasn't fazed by her outburst. Instead he continued to smile at her, holding her gaze. "Because I believe that you really want this. I believe that you are truly enjoying school, despite the front you try to put up, denying it. I believe in _you_ that you'll make the right choice for you and for this baby."

Penny smiled timidly, "That's the thing. I want this for myself too, I do, but now I am starting a family. I'm bringing another person into this world; she or he deserves the best from me. I don't want to disappoint them." She could feel her eyes beginning to water. _Damn hormones._

"Oh sweetie," Leonard wrapped both arms around Penny, pulling her closer, "You will be the best mother in the world with or without school. Seeing you so concerned proves that." He placed a loving kiss on her forehead before continuing, "But if you really want to partake in school during your final months of pregnancy, how about an online class? That way you can continue your studies and be at home, in your comfy sweats, with your feet up."

Penny grinned, "That does sound amazing." She thought about his suggestion for a few minutes longer," That could work actually. I could stay at home and rest, but also have something to keep me busy so I don't stay bored. I'm due in October, so after I have the baby, I can be at home with him or her and still keep up with my class for the remainder of the Fall semester." She pulled back to smile up at him, "Leonard, you're a genius."

"Eh," he shrugged, nonchalantly, "it's kind of my job."

She laughed, before turning serious again. "Either way, I still have this summer. I plan on taking another science class, getting it out of the way, since I need it."

"You need it?" Leonard stared at her, his brow furrowed.

"Yeah, as part of my plan." She laid a hand on his thigh and her smile became shy, "I want to get a degree."

His face instantly lit up, his eyes widening and his smile stretching from ear to ear. "That's great! What kind?"

"Okay, don't laugh!" She started, her nerves growing, wondering what his reaction would be, "Psychology."

"Psychology?" He repeated. She nodded and waited. The smile never left his face, "I think you'd be wonderful at it."

"Really?" Penny questioned. That wasn't exactly the reaction she pictured from him.

"I do. I think you'd be much better than my 'empty hole where her heart should be' mother. You're much more caring and comforting. I doubt you'd scar people for life."

She laughed, her heart rate slowing down, pleased with his support of her decision. "Well, I'm not exactly sure where I want to go with it yet, but it's a starting point."

"It's a good starting point, "Leonard said, "So you're going to take the science class so you can transfer to a bigger school?"

"Well, I did some research the other day while you were at work, and I could finish off most of my general studies at this community college over the next few years, still taking just one or two classes a semester. Then I could transfer to try for my Bachelors in Psychology," Penny explained, excited to be talking about her future for the first time ever. "There's-um-There's a University of Phoenix nearby that I've looked into. I know it's not Princeton or anything but-"

"It doesn't have to be Princeton. Penny, just the fact that you're going to school, that you want this, and that you came to this decision on your own is just amazing. I am super proud of you; I don't think I can tell you that enough."

Penny almost swore she saw tears building up in her boyfriend's eyes. He didn't have to tell her how proud he was. She could see it just looking at him. "Thank you, honey."

His lips met hers with such force she was nearly knocked backwards. Within seconds, her brain kicked into gear and her movements matched his. Her hand's clasped together behind his neck as he carefully laid her back against the mattress. Sleep could wait.

* * *

"Penny?"

Penny stopped suddenly and briskly walked back to the front doors of the apartment building. Slinging open the door that had just shut behind her, she waited for Leonard to catch up and enter.

"What are you in such a hurry for?" he laughed, standing beside her now, "I barely had time to park the car before you were out and sprinting for the door."

"I did not _sprint," _she rolled her eyes, sending him a glare, "I was merely walking fast."

"Either way, you're in a hurry."

Penny gave him a sheepish smile, a little embarrassed by just how excited she was. "I just really want to tell the guys the news."

Leonard shook his head, grinning, "Oh, you're so adorable."

She felt the blush creeping up her neck and her smile growing at his words. "Shut up," she muttered, before spinning on her heels and marching up the stairs as fast as her five month pregnant stomach would allow her. "C'mon slow poke!" she yelled over her shoulder, briefly hearing his laugh as she turned the corner.

Finally reaching the fourth floor landing, Penny strolled straight into 4A, knowing her friends were waiting on them. Sure enough, as she opened the door, five familiar faces stared back at her, four of which greeted her with smiles.

Sheldon was the exception, speaking up, "Of course. I really shouldn't even expect you to knock after all these years of living across the hall from you. I don't know why I continue to let myself experience a tiny sliver of hope for you, only to be let down each and every time. Knocking is, after all, considered social etiquette, which we all know you do not understand in the slightest."

Penny simply smiled at her quirky neighbor. Nothing could spoil her good mood today. Not even Sheldon. Instead of arguing back, she raised a fist and began to bang on the still opened door beside her. _Knock knock. _"Sheldon?" _Knock knock. _"Sheldon?" _Knock knock. _"Sheldon?"

With a satisfied smile and a few grins from the other occupants of the room, Penny stepped into the room, followed closely by Leonard, now caught up with her. "There you go, sweetie," she smiled in Sheldon's direction, who sat, obviously not impressed, eyes narrowed and his lips in a firm, straight line.

"Well?" Amy leaned forward from her spot next to Sheldon on the couch, "What did you find out?"

Bernadette spoke up as well, "Yeah, what are you having?" she asked.

Once situated in their usual spot of 'Leonard's chair', Penny glanced around at all of her friends. Bernadette sat next to Amy on the couch, her hand stretched out to hold her husband's sitting in the chair placed next to her. Raj sat at Howard's feet on a pillow, his eyes wide, an anxious smile plastered on his face. Amy was currently leaning her elbows on her legs, her head resting in her hands, wearing the same expression as Raj. All of their friends were waiting with eager smiles; even Sheldon's interest seemed to be piqued. His eyes glanced over to stare at the expecting couple every few seconds.

Penny looked to Leonard. His encouraging smile and nod told her to reveal the news they had received earlier that day, "Well, "she started, smiling even more when she noticed the girls and Raj start to become impatient.

Leonard spoke this time, "We're having a-"He trailed off, his eyes meeting Penny's again. They shared a loving gaze, beaming at one another.

"Oh, c'mon!" Raj shouted, throwing his hands into the air, frustrated.

Penny eventually tore her eyes from Leonard's and faced the room again, her smile never wavering, "We're having a girl."

Their revelation was met with cheers from their friends surrounding them, causing Sheldon to jump in his seat.

"That's great!" Amy expressed, her smile huge, standing to pull her Bestie up and into a hug.

"Congratulations!" Bernadette exclaimed, rising to hug her as well.

Not to be left out, Raj leaped up, joining the group hug while Howard stood to shake Leonard's hand and patting him on the shoulder.

"This is so awesome!" Raj yelled as the hug broke apart and everyone found their seats again. "I can teach her to cook, since we know she won't learn that from either of her parent's. Oh! And we can go to the spa together and the salon and get pedicures!"

Howard stared at his best friend, frowning. "Dude, stop it."

Raj just shrugged while Penny rolled her eyes and she turned her attention to Sheldon, the only person yet to say anything. "Sheldon, sweetie, what do you think about it?"

All eyes were on Sheldon. Shrugging, he refused to meet anyone's stare, instead focusing on a loose thread on the hem of his shirt. "While I'm still not comfortable with the prospect of a small child joining our group, I was at least wishing for a male so that I would be able to teach him some of my knowledge."

Amy and Bernadette instantly glared at him. Thankfully, Amy spoke before Bernadette had the chance to, "Are you saying women can't be smart, Sheldon?"

Sheldon faced her, "I am in no way saying that. I just think it's doubtful I'd be able to teach _Penny's_ daughter anything without her wanting to chat with me about shoes or the latest sale at Macys." He scoffed, shaking his head.

"Oh hush!" Penny grinned, despite what he had just insinuated, "You know you will love her and she'll love her Uncle Whack-a-doodle!"

Once everyone's laughter had died down, Sheldon refocused his attention on the television, muttering, "It's _Dr. _Whack-a-doodle."

Penny just smiled, laying her head against Leonard's shoulder. She knew her daughter would be exactly like Sheldon said, obsessed with shopping, she was after all _her_ daughter, but Penny had no doubt in her mind, with Leonard as her father, their child would be more intelligent than most her age. Glancing around the room once again as her friends gossiped and bickered, she knew her daughter would never go a day without being loved either.

* * *

"Well, that's the last of it." Leonard said, carrying a box out apartment 4B.

Penny watched him standing in the hallway, talking to Howard. After a few seconds, she allowed her eyes to roam around the now empty living room. Several weeks before, she had finally agreed moving out of 4B and into 2A would be the most responsible thing to do. More room, closer to the first floor. It really was an ideal place to raise a baby, while still remaining close to her friends.

Yet, Penny couldn't help but feel scared. Eight years had been spent in this apartment. It was her first home on her own, and while she struggled with bills or keeping the fridge stocked on multiple occasions, she still felt a sense of pride at the home she had created.

Sighing, she reluctantly exited the apartment, refusing to venture into the empty bedrooms. _Definitely too many memories there._

Once in the doorway, Penny saw Leonard hand Howard the last box, requesting he take it downstairs. She avoided eye contact when he turned in her direction. Her eyes stared down at her feet as another mixture of emotions hit her like a ton of bricks. _The hallway._

"Hey," Leonard stepped forward, a hand reaching for hers, "You okay?"

Penny managed a nod, leaning against the doorframe. With her free hand, she smoothed out the green recycle logo shirt she was wearing. At six months, not many clothes still fit her, and the maternity clothes she had purchased were currently dirty and packed away in her hamper. She had ended up settling on her sweat pants and Leonard's shirt that she had stolen.

"Are you sure? I know this is a big move for you," Leonard spoke, empathetic. She felt his fingers intertwine with hers.

Another nod. "Yeah, I will be. " She paused, still gazing around the hallway, "So much has happened right here."

Leonard's eyebrows rose as he leaned against the wall next to her, looking around with her. "It has, "he agreed, softly.

"The first time we met," Penny began to list, "Where you asked me out a second time, where I told you I loved you. Even this spot right here," she pointed to the doorway she stood in," We had our first real kiss around here."

"It's also where I was standing when I found out you were pregnant," he added, chuckling.

"True," Penny smiled slightly, growing quiet. Who would've known that a hallway of all places could be so significant to them. Major parts of their relationship had occurred here and now they were leaving them behind. She considered, dropping to one knee in that moment just to finish it off with a bang, add one more memory to the area. She knew she wanted to one day, was very much aware that Leonard was it for her. Despite that knowledge, Penny stayed still, propped up against the doorframe. "Leonard," she spoke softly.

"Yeah?"

"Does it upset you that we're moving in together, having a baby, and I still haven't proposed?"

Leonard's eyes were on her quickly. "W-what?" he stuttered out.

"I haven't proposed yet," she repeated, "I don't want you to be upset by that, I just, I-"

Leonard stepped in front of her, letting go of her hand to cup her face with both of his hands. "Listen to me, honey. Just because we're having this baby right now, does not mean we have to run out and get married."

"It's not conventional," Penny pointed out. A frown appeared on her face.

"Neither is our relationship," Leonard shot back," It never has been and I am perfectly fine with that now. Yes, I always thought I would have been married before I had kids, but none of that matters right now. All that matters is that I've got you and our child." He gently placed a hand on her stomach.

"I do want it, I promise. I'm getting there. I just want to focus on the baby right now and-" she tried to explain, but Leonard interrupted her.

"I'm not pressuring you. Take your time. I meant what I said on Valentine's Day last year. It's all on you. Whenever you are ready." He flashed her a dazzling smile that made her weak in the knees.

"Thank you," she whispered, then spoke louder, "I just want you to know that we're not going anywhere," her hand rested on top of his on her stomach. "Your daughter and I are not going anywhere, without you. We want you as long as you'll have us."

"Forever then," Leonard spoke with such love, pressing his lips against her forehead, "Forever with my two girls."

* * *

"Are you seriously just going to keep your hand there forever?"

Leonard smiled up at her and nodded. Penny fought her laughter, closing her eyes, and leaning her head back against the wall. They were currently lying in bed. Well, Leonard was lying in bed. Penny was sitting up, having just finished with her first English essay, her laptop on the floor next to the bed. She really was enjoying the first couple of weeks with her online class. She loved being able to lounge around while doing her homework. She was not enjoying the essays that came with an English course though. Luckily, she had gotten past her stubborn streak and learned to ask for Leonard's assistance.

Peaking an eye open, Penny smirked. Leonard lay with his body close to her, his left hand placed on her ever expanding stomach. "You're so cute." She chose to bite back any comments about the blush appearing on his cheeks at her words.

"Well I haven't felt her kick yet!" Leonard exclaimed, "I keep missing it."

That was true. Ever since the doctor had told them he'd be able to feel their daughter kick soon, Penny had been calling his name every time she felt the movement. Just earlier that day, Penny had been relaxing on the couch, Leonard cooking dinner in the kitchen, when she felt the kicking begin. She had shouted, getting his attention. Her boyfriend had scurried across the room, leaping onto the cushion beside her, hand rushing to her stomach. As soon as his hand had landed though, the kicking ceased. Penny was beginning to see the frustration it was causing Leonard.

"Well, I've still got a couple of months left, you still have time," Penny tried to reason with him.

Leonard ignored her, instead scooting closer, his face now directly next to her stomach. "C'mon, little girl," he said, speaking to her stomach, determined," kick for Daddy."

Penny's heart melted at the sight. Anytime Leonard talked to their daughter, she felt like the luckiest woman alive. There wasn't any other man that would've stayed by her side for so long, eight years of loving her, despite all of her imperfections and baggage she brought to the relationship. She knew that none of her previous boyfriends would have stuck around after she revealed the positive pregnancy test.

"You know," Penny spoke, catching Leonard's attention again, "we really need to be thinking of a name for her. I don't think we can keep calling her 'little girl' for very much longer."

Leonard laughed, sitting up to face her, but never removing his hand, "Okay. How about," he paused, his eyes squinting as he concentrated. "How about Ruth?"

Penny knew her expression conveyed just how much she disapproved, "I'm sorry, are we have an eighty year old woman?"

Leonard groaned, his free hand raising up to rub his temple. "This is not going to be easy with you, is it?"

"Actually," she started, a nervous smile growing on her lips, "I kind of already have one in mind."

Looking up at her, Leonard arched a brow, "Really? What is it?" he asked.

"It's-um-it's Katelynn." Penny admitted, waiting for his reply.

"Katelynn?" Leonard echoed. Penny nodded, her eyes never leaving his. She watched him think the name over before he finally replied. "Katelynn Marie?"

"My middle name?" Penny questioned, a little shocked.

"Yeah, why not?" he shrugged, "It's a pretty name."

Penny gently bit down on the inside of her cheek, repeating the name over in her head. It could work. "Katelynn Marie Hofstadter," she recited, a grin emerging onto both of their faces.

"Looks like she has a name," Leonard said, leaning closer to her stomach again, "Hey Katelynn-" The words had barely left his mouth when he quickly shot up, sitting on his knees and staring down at her with a look amazement painted across his face. "She kicked! I felt her kick!" He exclaimed, the smile on his face lighting up the entire room.

Penny flashed him a loving smile, "She must like the name." Her laughter filled the room as she watched Leonard continue talking to their child, his smile glued to his face. She really was one lucky woman.

* * *

"I still can't believe you flew all the way out here."

"Well darling, we couldn't miss your baby shower, now could we?" Penny's mother, Beth, laid a hand on her shoulder before walking past her and into the kitchen. Penny watched her go, studying her. Her mother was nowhere near overweight, just a little plump. Her blonde hair, slightly shorter than Penny's own, was beginning to turn gray. She walked somewhat slower than Penny remembered when she visited a few years back, but otherwise still got around on her own just fine. Nearing the big 5-0, Penny thought her mother was doing pretty well for herself. She couldn't help but wonder what she'd be like at that age? Would she be anything like her mom? Penny cringed, hoping that if she did, that her daughter would be nothing like she was growing up. She remembered the sneaking out, the partying and all of the boys. She really prayed this wasn't pay back for all of the hell she caused her parents.

"Well, you're just going to have to fly back out here next month when Katelynn's born," Penny pointed out, accepting the glass of ice tea her mother handed to her once she had returned to her side.

Beth waved a hand in the air, shaking her head, "And we'll fly right back, no hesitation. We've got some money saved up. Don't you worry sweetie. Now c'mon, let's go see how the guys are doing." Her mother grabbed her hand, leading her toward the second bedroom, now in the process of becoming Katelynn Marie's bedroom.

Penny beamed as she entered the room and saw her bespectacled boyfriend crouched on the floor, putting together finishing touches of the espresso colored crib. Instead of his usual attire of hoodie, jacket, and shirt, he wore only a black superman shirt. She tried not to ogle his bare arms, his biceps flexing as he attached the last piece to the crib.

"All done!" her father stated, standing from the floor and helping Leonard up as well. Leonard wiped the sweat from his brow, smiling her way. She mirrored one back.

Sitting down in the nursing chair in the corner of the room, Penny admired the piece of furniture the men had pushed up against the wall. Built into the side of the crib was a changing table, along with a three-shelf storage cabinet with adjustable shelves and a roll-out hamper, providing more than enough storage area for keeping all of the baby's supplies right at hand. Her eyes roamed throughout the room, various pink, purple, and white decorations, matching the sheets for the crib, hanging from the walls around her. Directly above the now finished crib hung a pink wooden cutout of Katelynn's name. Her father had made the plaque, along with buying the crib for them, and multiple sets of outfits for his granddaughter. On the far side of the room sat the car seat already assembled, along with a small duffle bag containing all of the necessities Penny would need at the hospital and the pink and purple diaper bag, with Katelynn's name embroidered across the front, sat waiting. She knew it wouldn't be much longer.

"It looks good boys!" her mother cheered from the doorway, "You two got such adorable things at the shower today! It was a great turnout, wasn't it?"

Penny nodded, thinking back over the party earlier that same day. A few coworkers from work had arrived, hugging her and claiming how much they missed her at work since she had taken leave. Her mother and father had attended traveling all the way from Nebraska, leaving her sister to keep an eye out for her brother, and of course her friends had been there too. All in all, it had been a small get together, but all had showed up with plenty of gifts. Penny smiled fondly, remembering the piles of diapers, assorted cute dresses, as well as the outfits her nerdy group of friends had bought for her. She recalled the few that made her smile: the onesie with a pink microscope printed across the front from Bernadette, the onesie with a picture of an adorable monkey given to her by Amy, the unbelievably tiny pair of sparkling pink Sperry shoes from Raj, and the inappropriate onesie from Howard with the words "I'm living proof that Nerds get laid" written on the front. Even Sheldon had handed her a bag, containing a congratulations card and a small children's train set. The gift had warmed her heart, but her favorite had to be the ones Leonard had surprised her with, bringing out her own inner nerd with a pink bib reading "Dumbledore's Army" and a white onesie with the words "Mommy's little muggle" in black lettering.

"We, uh, we actually have one more surprise for you."

Leonard's voice stirred her from her thoughts. Glancing up at him, she frowned, "Another surprise? What is it?"

Her father stood next to Leonard and shrugged, offering a hand out to help her stand, "I guess you'll just have to come see."

Leonard reached and grabbed her other arm, helping her up along with her father. At the eighth month of her pregnancy, once she was sitting, it usually took her several long minutes to get up without any assistance. "We have to go downstairs."

"Downstairs?" she asked, confused, but following them out the door anyways.

Her confusion grew as they reached the front entrance and Leonard placed a blindfold around her eyes, covering up her sight. Before she had time to freak out, she felt his hand in hers and his other arm around her shoulders, guiding her. She heard the squeak of the double doors opening, felt the cool breeze hit her face, as they stepped outside. "What's going on, guys?"

"Just a few feet further," her mother spoke from behind her, startling her.

She came to a sudden stop and Leonard's hands pulled back and soon she felt the blindfold fall from her eyes. A gasp swept past her lips as a hand flew to her mouth. Parked in front of her by the curb was a red, four door car with a pink bow stuck to the roof.

"It's a Mazda 4," Leonard stepped closer to her, his arm sliding around her waist, "It's not brand new, it's used, but it's still in great condition."

"How-how did," she couldn't even find the proper words, her hand falling back at her side, and her eyes finding his.

"We all three chipped in some money for the down payment, got the monthly payments brought down a little lower, so it's more affordable. Plus with me up for tenure, we can manage it," Leonard explained.

Turning to stare at her parents, Penny was met with smiles from the duo. "You guys helped too?"

Her father nodded, speaking, "We did." Pulling her into a hug, he began again, "We're proud of you, slugger. You've been living out here for eight years now on your own, taking care of yourself. Sure you've hit some bumps in the road, but who hasn't? You're back in school, dating a scientist and not some cow tipping bozo. You deserve this."

"Plus, I didn't want my grandchild being chauffeured around in that piece of junk you're driving now," her mother laughed, causing Penny to roll her eyes, while reaching out to wrap her arms around her. Squeezing her gently, Penny whispered a 'thank you' into her mother's ear.

After receiving a kiss on the cheek from her mom, Penny spun around, her arms grabbing ahold of Leonard's face and pressing her lips against his. "Thank you so much, sweetie," she said after they broke apart.

Leonard placed one more quick kiss on her lips before pointing to the car, "How 'bout a test drive?"

His words caused her smile to brighten. Taking the keys he held out for her, Penny waddled over to the driver's door. She climbed in, vaguely hearing her parents in the backseat chattering away or Leonard cautioning her to drive carefully. Her eyes took in every small detail, her nose registered the new, clean smell, much better than the smell of her other car, most likely from the old, forgotten banana she had yet to find under her seats. Starting the ignition, her smile widened. Sure it wasn't brand new, but it was the nicest car she had ever owned, and she vowed to keep this one in much better shape, just like the adult she was trying to be like should do.

* * *

Penny tried to drown out the incessant beeping from the numerous machines surrounding her, tried to ignore the pads attached to her belly, the IV in her right arm. All of these things would cause her even more annoyance as she closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, forcing herself through another contraction. No book she read could've properly prepared her for the pain she was experiencing now. She let out the breath she had been holding, as she felt Leonard's hand rubbing her back slowly, heard his comforting voice reminding her he was there with her.

Several hours earlier, in the middle of the night, Penny had awoken with cramping in her lower abdomen. Just days away from her due date, Penny had shaken Leonard awake, begging to be taken to the hospital. Now here they sat, five in the morning, deciding not to call their friends or her parents, who had arrived again just a few days before, eagerly awaiting the birth of their granddaughter. The doctor had told Penny her labor had been progressing much faster than most new mothers. As happy as she was to hear that, unfortunately this meant there hadn't been time for an epidural, meaning Penny had to endure each contraction thrown at her.

The door opened suddenly and Dr. Young entered, followed closely by a young nurse. "Good morning again, Penny. I just wanted to check you again, see how far you are now."

"I hope pretty far," Penny mumbled, laying her back against the soft pillow beneath her.

"Her contractions are about three minutes apart now, the most recent one lasted about ninety seconds," Leonard informed the doctor.

Dr. Young nodded, ending her examination, "Well, you're in luck. It's time."

Penny's head shot up, staring at the doctor, "It's time?" she asked, excitement and nerves bubbling up inside her. Leonard's hand squeezed hers.

Dr. Young smiled at the couple, "You're ten centimeters dilated. It's time to meet your daughter."

_Oh God._

Penny's heart rate began to speed up and her already sweaty palms became even damper. It was time. The moment she'd been waiting on for several months now.

"Okay," Dr. Young started, motioning for the nurse to come over, "we have everything set up and ready to go. I'm gonna need you to start pushing."

Taking a deep breath, Penny nodded before beginning to push, grasping Leonard's hand tighter.

"Oh balls," Penny yelled, stretching the words out. She had never felt pain like this. She felt like her whole body was being ripped apart. She wanted to give up so bad, to just quit and go to sleep. She wanted the pain to stop. She wanted to crawl under the covers and hide away from reality.

Every time these thoughts crossed her mind, she'd hear Leonard's sweet voice in her ear, telling her how well she was doing, reminding her of the light waiting for them at the end of this tunnel. His encouraging words kept her going. She continued pushing, continued fighting through the pain, continued the breathing exercises she had learned at the birthing class they had attended. With one final push, Penny's scream was met with the high pitched crying erupting throughout the room.

Opening her eyes, she saw the doctor standing up from her position, in her arms laid a wiggling, tiny body. She watched in awe as Dr. Young offered for Leonard to cut the cord, watched as the nurse carried the baby to the side of the room to clean her up. Her eyes never drifted from her daughter.

What felt like an hour, but was actually just a few minutes later, the infant, now wrapped in a pink blanket, was carefully placed on Penny's chest. Staring down at the bundle in her arms, Penny felt the rest of the world fade away. The machines, the doctor, the nurse were all gone. Blinking back tears, she felt her breath catch in her throat as a pair of eyes identical to her own gazed up at her. Nothing she had read, no one she had talked to, no video she had watched could ready her for the flood of emotions that rushed through her body. In her arms, she held something that she had created with the man she loved, something she had carried for nine months, protected and fell in love with before she had even met her. And now here she was. Penny completely forgot about keeping her tears at bay, allowing every tear to fall down her face.

Hearing sniffling beside her, Penny glanced up at Leonard, noticing the tear streaks down both of his cheeks. Smiling, she spoke through her tears, "Leonard, would you like to meet your daughter?"

She held their baby up a little higher as he bent to speak to her, "Hi, Katelynn," his voice cracked, reaching out a hand to hold the tiny one now stretching out towards him. Her heart melted and her tears fell quicker as she witnessed the love of her life place a soft kiss on their daughter's forehead. She knew, without a doubt in her mind, the road ahead would be filled with many twist and turns, many speed bumps and detours, but Penny would always have this moment. This moment filled with such love, such joy. Any dark times she may stumble on from here on out, she'd always have this moment, and the love from her daughter and the man standing beside her. _Her family._


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, so this took a while to get up, but let's just say, life got in the way, and I wanted this one to really have a lot of thought put into it. So here you go! Chapter three, what was supposed to be the final chapter, but is no longer the case. Looks like you will getting two more chapters out of this!**

**Hope you enjoy all the love!**

**The Maternal Excitation Chapter 3**

* * *

"She's so beautiful."

Penny glanced at the man sitting beside her on the couch as she spoke, before her eyes quickly flicked back to the bassinet in front of her. More importantly, what was sleeping quietly inside the bassinet. Her daughter. _Their _daughter.

The trio had been discharged from the hospital just two hours earlier. The past 36 hours had been like a dream for Penny; holding their daughter, feeding their daughter, admiring every single perfect detail about her. The night before, the nurses had kept Katelynn in the nursery throughout the night, allowing for Penny to get some rest. 'You'll definitely be wishing for it soon enough,' one of the nighttime nurses had joked. Sleep came easy after the events of the day, giving birth, plus the amount of visitors she had had coming by to meet Katelynn, but as soon as the nurses wheeled in her baby girl bright and early at seven a.m. the next morning, Penny was wide awake, ready to have her in her arms once again.

"Just like her mother," Leonard replied, smiling in her direction.

Penny turned her body towards him and smiled back. The simplest things coming from him meant the world to her. She opened her mouth to point out that their daughter had gotten his nose, when a beeping noise from his phone halted her words.

"Shoot," Leonard started, frowning as he read the message on his screen, "There's been a mishap at the lab. One of the new grad students quite possibly broke one of my lasers. They're asking if I can come in for a few hours to check it. "

Penny's frown encompassed her face, "Now?" Her gaze fell on the infant sleeping close by.

Leonard must have followed her gaze and noticed her concern. "It won't take me long; they know I've taken a few weeks off to stay with you. I'll be in and out, real quick." Standing, he pocketed his phone and stared down into the bassinet. "Look, she's sleeping now, you two will be fine and if you need me for anything, I'll just be a phone call away." After a nod from Penny and a kiss goodbye, Leonard was gone.

Catching her bottom lip between her teeth, Penny fidgeted in her seat and let out a long sigh. Her gaze drifted around the room before falling back to Katelynn. This was technically their first time alone together and Penny wasn't quite sure what to do. Not wanting to make too much noise, she settled for reading a magazine from the coffee table instead of turning on the television.

She had barely made it past the first few pages when a loud wail filled the room. Throwing the Cosmo to the ground, Penny sat forward and leaned over the bassinet. "Sweetie, what's wrong?" she asked softly, unfastening the pink onesie," Are you wet? No." Penny sighed, dressing the baby again as she continued to cry. Leonard had just fed her less than an hour ago, so surely she wasn't hungry. "Oh, sweetie, c'mere." Penny reached in, very carefully lifting her from her spot and into her arms.

Supporting her head and resting her small body along her arms, Penny stared into the face of the screaming child. Her heart broke watching her daughter's eyes scrunch up and her lips tremble. At a loss with what to do, Penny pulled the infant closer to her chest, hoping the touch would soothe her. Her attempts failed. Katelynn's cries grew louder as Penny moved on to rocking her.

Groaning, she slowed her movements, "I don't know what you want!" she screamed over the piercing cries, only making her daughter scream louder. "I'm sorry," her voice softer, apologizing, "Mommy didn't mean to yell at you. I just-I'm new at this! I don't know what I'm doing." Penny felt tears stinging her own eyes as she stared helplessly down at her child. "Katelynn, please," she begged, hanging her head and shutting her eyes in defeat. She contemplated calling her parents, who were still only a few miles away at a hotel room, but she knew calling them for help would not always be an option. She wouldn't always have someone there to rescue her. She needed to figure this out on her own.

Her head lifted up and her eyes popped open as an idea suddenly hit her. _It may be crazy enough to work. I've got nothing left to lose. _Positioning Katelynn in her arms before her, Penny took a deep breath before opening her mouth and beginning to sing a familiar melody. "Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur," as the words left her mouth, her daughter's screams began to quieten, her green eyes slowly opening to look up at Penny. "Oh, holy balls! It's working!" Penny's face lit up in a smile as she continued, "Happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr purr purr." The look of content on her daughter's face urged her to keep singing, repeating the chorus over again, her arms slowly swaying the tiny body.

As she was finishing up her fourth round of the song, Katelynn staring up at her in awe, a single knock was heard at the door. Scrunching up her forehead, Penny called for them to enter. Her confusion increased as Howard poked his head into the room.

"Hey, Penny. Okay if I come in?" He asked, stepping further into the room when she nodded. He shut the door behind him, turning and facing her, "I saw Leonard pulling up as I was leaving the University and I was on my way over here to play a little three person chess with Sheldon and Raj, thought I'd stop by and see you two."

"That was nice of you," Penny smiled, her eyes returning to the bundle in her arms. She felt the cushion shift as Howard sat down beside her on the couch. The horrible cries and frown from just a few minutes ago were now gone. Her daughter continued to stare up at her in wonder. Penny felt herself begin to become lost in those eyes when she suddenly heard a throat clear from beside her.

When she turned to face him, Howard wore a shy smile, pointing towards Katelynn, "May I hold her?"

Penny almost wanted to say no. She wanted to be selfish, she wanted the little girl all to herself, especially after calming her back to the adorable state she was in now. The look on Howard's face caused the 'yes' to fly from her lips though. She saw something there that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Once the baby was safely in his arms, Penny had to refrain from being the overprotective mother she had always laughed at in movies. She barely knew what she was doing herself, yet she couldn't bury the worries that took over her when she witnessed someone else other than herself, or Leonard, holding her daughter. Her fears started to diminish though and she felt slightly foolish as she watched Howard fawn over the infant, talking softly to her, her tiny hand wrapped around one of his fingers.

Penny relaxed back against the couch cushion behind her, still observing the man beside her. Reflecting back over the past eight years, she realized the progress he had made from the creepy candy coated pervert trying to sneak pictures of her cleavage, to the man he was now, happily married and yearning for a child of his own. That's when it hit Penny; what she had seen in his expression while handing over Katelynn; Longing. She could only imagine the feelings he was experiencing, watching his friends have kids when they weren't even married, while waiting patiently for his wife to come to terms with a family. A smile appeared on her face as Howard continued to be captivated by the little girl in his arms, in a world of their own, a look she had seen on Leonard's face countless times over the past 36 hours. She would definitely have to talk to Bernadette.

* * *

"Is it sad that we've been gone for just over an hour and I already miss her?"

Leonard smiled at the woman walking beside him. He slid his hand into hers, drawing her closer as they walked out of the restaurant and down the street in search of their car.

Penny smiled back, embarrassed by her need to rush back home to their daughter. A little over an hour before, the couple had left Katelynn in the care of Howard and Bernadette for a night out. She briefly recalled the conversation she had with Bernadette a few months back. Her friend had seemed reluctant to approach the subject of kids, almost like Penny had been about commitment. Penny had managed to get Bernie to talk eventually and several hours later and tissues filling the trash can, along with juggling Katelynn back and forth between the two women, Bernadette had agreed to consider the issue more and discuss it with her husband again. Penny guessed their talk had gone well, since Howard had gone out of his way to ask to babysit for them anytime, which had led Leonard to ask Penny out on a date for the night.

Penny had reluctantly left her child behind, after reciting the list of 'dos and don'ts' with the husband and wife several times and having Leonard drag her out of the home. He had taken her to a nice dinner, which she had enjoyed; she just couldn't help but think about Katelynn the entire time, wondering what she was doing, if she was hungry, or if she had already had Soft Kitty sung to her like she specifically told Howard and Bernadette to do. After Leonard had discovered her secretly sending messages to the couple, he had confiscated her phone, stating that if something happened, they'd know.

She tried to find something else to talk about, but the only thing coming to mind was the beautiful child she spent every day with. Deciding to leave the Cheesecake factory had been a big step, but an important one. With her online classes done for winter break, Penny was officially a stay at home mom, something she never imagined she'd ever be. She always pictured herself as this working, successful woman growing up. Penny still wanted that, definitely, but for this moment in time, she was fine with being at home, watching her daughter grow, getting to see her first smile, hear her laugh for the first time. She didn't want to miss a single milestone in her first few years of life and she was lucky to have the opportunity to be there for each one.

"Oh c'mon! It's our first night out in months, since before Katelynn was born. Let's enjoy it." Leonard dropped her hand to wrap his arm around her waist.

Penny glanced his way, admiring the blue dress shirt and dark pants he was wearing. He really did look handsome. Her eyes glanced down at her own attire; the purple dress reaching just slightly above her knees and clinging to every curve. She mentally high-fived herself for purchasing those Insanity workout DVDs, allowing her to slim back down after carrying another human being for nine months.

She vaguely heard Leonard ask her what she wanted to do next, when her attention was drawn to a building further up the street. She noticed the line of people waiting outside and the thumping of the loud music erupting from within the walls, the noise growing louder each time the doors opened and a person stumbled out. A smile began to form across her face as she tugged on her boyfriend's shirt. Once she had his attention, she pointed to the club ahead of them, "Let's go dance!"

She heard Leonard groan from beside her, causing her to turn toward him, "What?"

"I don't want to go dancing!" he exclaimed, retrieving his arm from around her and rubbing at his temples, "All that will happen is I'll get a headache and look dumb in front of strangers."

"So? That's never stopped us before!" Penny narrowed her eyes in his direction, "I want to go dancing. I haven't been able to go since I got pregnant. Or drink!" She watched in confusion as his hands dropped to his sides and he closed his eyes, sighing. Yeah, he usually groaned a little when she asked him, but he always followed behind her anyways. "What is it, Leonard?"

His eyes opened and he threw his hands in the air, obviously frustrated, "I just don't feel like going to a club tonight, okay? I don't feel like my feet hurting or my head hurting or my freakin' heart hurting as I stand there and watch every guy in there flirt with you _right in front of me!_" Penny recoiled at his outburst, shocked. She knew he didn't like it when other guys hit on her, but usually she could just kiss him and pull him close to calm his fears. Just as she was about to speak those words, he jumped in again, "I just- I can't. Not tonight. I can't watch other men try to talk dirty to you tonight. It was bad enough when you were just my girlfriend, but now you're also the mother of my child!" He paused, sighing again and shaking his head, "It's not like they know. I mean, you're not wearing a freakin' ring or anything."

Penny froze at his last words. Her eyes locked with his. She wouldn't be surprised if her jaw had dropped open as she replayed his words over again. Finally finding her voice, she asked, "I thought you said 'when I was ready'? That the ball was essentially in my court?"

"It is-" Leonard started.

"It doesn't sound like it!" Penny interrupted, her voice rising, "It sounds like you're trying to pressure me again!"

"No, Penny, that's not what I meant-" Leonard attempted to step closer to her, a hand reaching out for her, but she stepped backwards.

She ignored her back hitting the wall behind her of the alleyway they had somehow ended up in, ignored the flash of lightening from above, along with the adjoining clap of thunder. Instead, her focus remained on the man in front of her, her eyes searching his for some kind of explanation. "So what is it, Leonard? Was all that 'it's all on you' just a load a bull shit to tide me over?"

"It wasn't a lie, Penny. I meant what I said, but-" he paused, his eyes drifting to examine a spot on his shoe, "I- I understood not wanting to purpose when we found out we were having Katelynn, I understand. It's just-" Another pause followed by a shrug and she tried not to scream waiting on him to continue. "I thought _after_ she was born would be different. It's been three months now, I just thought you would've- I mean, we've been back together for going on four years now and we've known each other for nine years. We live together, have a baby together; it just makes sense."

Penny stared at him once he finished. She felt the anger building up inside her, flowing through her body, and she knew that wasn't a good thing. Yet, she couldn't fight it. "Well," she began, spitting the word out and folding her arms across her chest, "if you're so tired of waiting, why not just leave? If it's such an inconvenience for you to be with me without a stupid marriage license to prove our love, then just walk away!" Her words came out in a high pitched scream, her blood boiling, pushing the fear of being alone to the back of her mind, the imaginary bricks beginning to form the walls around her once again.

It was Leonard's turn to freeze. His hazel eyes connecting with her green ones. She could see the tears building up in them and her heart almost fell apart for being the one to create them. Still, she held her stance, stood tall, built her walls stronger. Even when the lightning struck again and the clouds began to pour down on them, she remained determined to not bend through it all.

Until he spoke.

"Is that what you really want?" he asked, his voice a whisper, barely heard over the thunder booming around them.

In that second, her metaphorical walls crashed to the ground, every brick coming down, leaving her heart open for an attack, any chance to be torn apart. Looking at the man standing before her, she knew he was the one guy who would do anything to prevent doing just that. If there were ever a man she could trust with her whole heart, it was him; the father of her child, the man she loved with everything she had to give. Her words were said out of anger, out of defense, and she knew if he had really walked away, she would suffer a fate worse than death. "No," she spoke, finally, her voice sounding foreign to her ears.

"Neither do I," Leonard said. Hesitantly, he stretched a hand out to grasp her own hand. When she didn't snatch her's back, he intertwined his fingers with her's.

She felt the warmth from his touch spread through her body. With her other hand, she reached up to push her wet hair away from her face, her eyes never leaving his. She was almost certain there were tears mixed in with the droplets of rain sliding down her face. Her thoughts, that had previously been running wild with pictures of Leonard actually walking away, vanished and all she saw was this amazing man in front of her.

And with that, she found herself dropping to one knee, not at all bothered by the pain of the hard concrete against her bare skin. Her hand stayed in his. She watched as his eyes widened and his mouth hung open, could tell he was about to speak, so she rushed ahead of him, "Shut up," she said, noticing a ghost of smile flicker across his lips. With a shaky breath, she spoke again, "You're a real jerk, you know that?" At his furrowed brow and his protest that was soon to come, Penny continued with her speech, "I was planning a proposal already. I had it narrowed down to two different ones. With one, there was going to be rose petals and champagne and candles. I was going to do it on our anniversary." She let out a snort of laughter, rolling her eyes at herself, "I know, cheesy right? The second one was to happen sooner, in a few weeks around Christmas. I was hoping to surprise you with one of those collectible Dr. Who Tardis toys and when you opened it up, a ring would be sitting inside." She shook her head, squeezing his hand, "I thought long and hard over the past month, but you wanted to do this tonight," she raised her free hand to gesture between the two of them, "so this is the one you're going to get, soaking wet from the rain and on the streets."

Leonard quickly shook his head. "I don't care," he assured her, dropping to his knees next to her.

Penny felt a sudden surge of confidence that she hadn't felt once since she had started brainstorming weeks ago. Holding both of his hands now, she took one more deep breath, a smile consuming her entire face, "Leonard Hofstadter," she saw her own smile mirrored on his face, "will you marry me?"

She soon felt his lips smash against hers. One of his hands wrapped around her waistline, grabbing her and pulling her as close as possible against his wet body. His other hand found it's way into her hair, while hers cupped his face, lovingly. Their kisses grew more heated, both not wanting to let go of the other. Eventually, though, the need for air won and they parted, Penny's head immediately burying in his neck, her arms encircling his neck.

It was there, in a dark alleyway, with the rain beating against their backs and the people passing by, unbeknownst to what had just occurred, that Penny heard a soft 'yes' whispered into her ear and her heart soared with a kind of love even greater than the love Leonard had taught her the past eight years. Her mind flashed back to their daughter waiting on them at home and her body filled to the brim with excitement. She couldn't wait to get back and tell her the good news; Mommy and Daddy were getting married.

* * *

"You ready for this, slugger?"

Penny nearly jumped at her father's voice from the doorway. She currently stood in the designated dressing room of the church, staring at her reflection in the floor length mirror. Turning to face her father, she smoothed down the sleeveless, satin, white material covering her body. Before she had time to ask her father's opinion, he spoke.

"You look beautiful, darling."

She noticed the catch in his throat as he spoke the words and she felt a lump start to form in her own throat. "Daddy, don't cry. Please, because, then I'll cry and I'll have to do my make-up all over again!" Penny said between trembling breaths. She raised a hand in the air, fanning her face and begging the tears to stay away for the moment.

"I'm sorry, sweetie," her father rushed forward, laying a consoling hand on her shoulder. "I'm just-I'm really proud of you."

"Damn'it, daddy!" Penny exclaimed, facing the mirror again and dabbing at her eyes before the tears had a chance to smudge most of her makeup.

"Alright, alright. You still look just as beautiful. We need to get out there, everybody's waiting." He flashed a brilliant at her, "It's about that time." Linking his arm with hers, he opened the door for the both of them.

Once they had made it to the entry way, Penny saw her friends and family standing around. She smiled at Bernadette and Amy in their blue Chiffon halter bridesmaids dresses. Amy wearing her Maid of Honor Tiara, no one having the heart to tell her no. She noticed the glow Bernadette was experiencing, the overly happy expression of a wife finally wanting to have a baby. Penny did hope it would happen soon for the couple.

Next to each of the girls were their respective partners, looking very dapper in their tuxedos. Sheldon did look slightly uncomfortable, but she didn't miss the hint of a smile as Amy leaned in close to most likely share a joke that Penny knew she'd probably never understand. Her smile only grew when she finally saw her daughter, wrapped in Raj's arms. At nine months old, Penny couldn't believe how much she had grown. The child was already crawling everywhere and trying her hardest to start walking and talking. She definitely shared Leonard's intelligence genes. Katelynn looked absolutely adorable in her blue and white flower girl dress, smiling at anyone who would show her the slightest attention. She definitely got those genes from her mother.

The wedding march began to play through the speakers overhead, signaling it was time to start. Each of her friends gave her a small hug, even a hesitant Sheldon, before taking their significant other's arm and walking down the aisle. Penny placed a quick kiss on her daughter's cheek and watched as Raj carried her down the aisle, encouraging the little girl to throw the flower petals from her basket as they walked.

Suddenly, both her father and her mother's arms were linked through each of her own and Penny felt her nerves begin to grow. _Time to get married._

As her parent's accompanied her down the aisle and all of the guests turned to gaze at her, Penny's eyes stared straight ahead at what was awaiting her; her future husband.

There he stood, looking as handsome as ever in his dark suit and tie. She saw the breathless look on his face and in an instant, her mind was back to that day so long ago; the day he stood before her in the hallway, a moving box in her hands, and the same expression on his face then. Her entire journey down the aisle to him seemed like a mile long and her mind continued to flash back over the years; their first kiss; their first date; their love making; that horrible, but needed, breakup; the 'I love you' in the hallway; the birth of their wonderful daughter; the proposal just six months earlier; and every little memory in between. In that moment, Penny knew, now more than ever, that this was it, _he_ was it.

Before she realized it, her parents were kissing her cheeks, 'giving her away' as Leonard stepped forward to take her hand in his. The smile he wore swept away any nervous feelings she had been experiencing and she felt herself beaming back at him. Everyone else vanished. In her eyes, there was him and only him. The Pastor's voice sounded 1000 miles away as she stared into Leonard's eyes. It wasn't until she felt Amy lightly nudge her that she realized the Pastor had been talking to her.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, causing everyone in the pews to chuckle lightly. She took the ring that Amy was holding out to her. _Time for vows._ Taking a deep breath, Penny began to recite the speech she had practiced in her mirror for weeks on end, "Leonard, I don't even know where to begin. You are just-You're an amazing man. I never would've guessed when I first met you, years ago, that I'd be standing here today, "her smile widened," You quickly became my best friend, my favorite person to hang out with. Whenever something happened in my life, good or bad, I wanted to tell _you_ first, and, whether it was getting a callback for an audition or going through a horrible breakup with yet another dumb guy, you were there for me. Every time. Before I knew was what happening, I was starting to fall for you; I was deliberately flirting with you; searching for your attention. It was the craziest, strangest feeling ever. I had felt love before, I swore I had, but what you showed me; it was so much more. I've put you through Hell and back so many times, but you stayed right here, and I'm so glad you did, because look at what we have now; a wonderful group of friends, a home together, a gorgeous daughter, and most of all, true love. I'm so glad you saw what took me so long to see and that you never gave up on us," she paused, taking a shaky breath, letting the tears fall freely down her cheeks as she slid the sliver wedding band onto his ring finger, "I love you, Leonard, and I am so happy to become your wife."

She noticed Leonard's eyes blinking rapidly. "I'm not going to cry," he said, smiling.

"Liar," Penny blurted out before she could stop herself, causing their family and friends to laugh.

Leonard shook his head, laughing along with them, and wiping at his eyes. He turned to accept the ring from Sheldon. Facing her again, he began to recite his own vows, the ones she knew he had typed up just a week after getting engaged, "Penny, nearly a decade ago, standing in that hallway, you might not have known what exactly would become of us, but I did; or, at least, I thought I did. I knew you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I knew I wanted to meet you, to try to sweep you off your feet, which didn't exactly work out the way I wanted it to, "Penny gave him a sympathetic smile, "but I knew what I wanted. I had no idea, though, of what all you would teach me. Yes, you taught me that there were things that existed in life besides science and video games," they both chose to ignore the scoff from Sheldon," but you also taught me something much more important; love. You might think I'm the one who taught you that, but I wasn't alone in it. You showed me what it was really like to have someone care; someone to ask how your day had gone; to give you a kiss and hug you when you've had a bad day; to cuddle up on the couch with on stormy nights, watching chick flicks and eating junk food. I have never been so in love with anyone as I am with you. Yeah, you may have put me through Hell, but I know I was not always easy at times. We made it through all of those road blocks and we came out even stronger. You're just perfect to me. You love my friends and they love you back, even my mother approves of you!" Penny glanced toward the first pew on the right side and found Beverley's eyes. Her soon-to-be mother-in-law nodded in acknowledgement and Penny nodded back. Her eyes bounced back to Leonard's as he squeezed her hand and slid her matching silver band on her finger, placing it right next to the diamond engagement ring he had purchased for her soon after the alleyway proposal. He cleared his throat and continued, "Penny, you are a magnificent woman, the love of my life, my best friend, a sensational mother to my child, and now, I'm extremely proud to make you my wife, and spend the rest of my life growing more in love with you with each passing day. I love you."

Penny felt the grin covering her face as the Pastor gave them their opportunities to say 'I do'. The words breezed past her lips without hesitation, her smile somehow enhancing as Leonard said the those two words back to her. The final words had barely left the Pastor's mouth and her lips were on Leonard's, kissing him. His lips were the same as before, but somehow it felt different kissing him just then. He wasn't her boyfriend, wasn't her fiancé; he was her _husband._

And she was Mrs. Penny Hofstadter.

* * *

"Hang on! Hang on! I have to get the camera!"

Penny darted out of the room and into the bedroom, snatching her camera resting on her bedside table. She couldn't believe she didn't have it ready yet. The whole day had been crazy; Penny's emotions had been running wild, tears building up every thirty minutes.

Returning to the living room, Penny held the camera up triumphantly to her show her friends and family that were gathered around. "Okay," she said as she stood back in her previous spot, directly in front of daughter, "I'm ready!"

The tears began to sting at her eyes once again as she sang along with the rest of the group to the chorus of Happy Birthday. Once Leonard had set the small cake down on the high chair's table, Penny felt someone attempting to remove the camera from her hands. She turned, still latched onto the camera, and came face to face with her mother.

"Go get in the picture. This is the only first birthday Katelynn will have; you'll never get this opportunity again. Go," her mother ushered.

Whispering a small 'thank you', Penny hurried to stand on the other side of Katelynn, smiling as the little girl noticed her and greeted her with an ecstatic "Mommy!" and a sweet kiss. A single tear slipped down her cheek as her eyes met her husband's.

Once the singing had ceased, Leonard and Penny both helped Katelynn blow out her one candle, while everyone cheered around them. Laughing as she watched Katelynn grab a handful of icing to smear on her father's face, Penny felt her heart grow ten sizes and a warmth spread throughout her entire body. The last year had been better than all of her dreams put together, and she knew many more lay ahead, as long as this man and this girl were in it.


End file.
